


weighed and measured inside

by bergamot (madocallie)



Series: forging the flame emperor [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (i’m serious about the body horror/medical horror.), Body Horror, Gen, Medical Examination, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-11-02 09:04:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20693411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madocallie/pseuds/bergamot
Summary: She had no desire to be in this place for longer than necessary.Aside from the raised lines of light, the waiting room was uncomfortably dark, and the walls seemed to close in on her further with every minute.





	weighed and measured inside

Once again, she sat quietly.

Arms draped over her lap, back propped against a wall of cold black and glowing, humming blue, Edelgard von Hresvelg quietly waited for a response. One that was taking longer than usual to get. She had no desire to be in this place for longer than necessary. Aside from the raised lines of light, the waiting room was uncomfortably dark, and the walls seemed to close in on her further with every minute.

The room’s design was probably intentional. Edelgard was familiar with how they exploited her fear and unease to keep her under their thumb. Yes, she could fight and conduct herself as gracefully and powerfully as any storybook royal. She could raze Fódlan to the ground, or raise it up again if she so fancied. But in the grand scheme of things, Edelgard knew she was a pawn to those who slithered in the dark. Once the fire within her fizzled to cinders, they’d sweep aside the ashes that remained.

Just like her father - their puppet.

Just like her siblings - their victims.

Just like her mother - their...

Before Edelgard could think further, she heard the shuffling of thick fabric, and the hollow echo of armoured boots striding across the polished floor. She slowly pushed herself up to meet the milky, yet piercing gaze of their leader. A man who controlled her country, culled her family, and cursed her.

”Your monthly examination is ready to begin,” Thales said, as though he were some noble offering her a fresh cup of tea. “Shall we?” 

Turning his head, he gestured towards the door he had entered from with a slow extension of his arm.

Edelgard quietly stepped forward. 

* * *

“Height: 158cm,” Solon mumbled, his stylus scribbling on a letter-sized, translucent slab. “Clearly not growing much anymore. Just like the prototypes.”

In front of him, Edelgard sat silently on the examination table. She stared downwards, dividing her focus between her clasped, glove-clad hands and her feet, which failed to touch the ground beneath. Her black boots were left by the entrance; slipping them on and off again would be a hassle for the weighing that shortly followed.

The weighing came and went. Like her height, Solon concluded that her weight remained identical to before; much like those who had undergone the procedures before her. Edelgard held her attention elsewhere, wondering if the gradual changes creeping into her diet had any part. Lately, she couldn’t stomach the rich luxurious meats that regularly graced the Imperial table. 

The sound of Thales’ heavy steps drawing near threw her mind back to her surroundings. As with every session, he stood in the corner of the room, a shadow watching over Solon’s preliminary checkups. If he was there, nothing would happen to his esteemed researcher. Edelgard may have been their finest creation, but the men surrounding her knew better than to expect total obedience from the girl whose life they had so thoroughly corrupted. 

“I trust you’ve noticed your… lack of physical change?”, Thales said matter-of-factly.

Edelgard nodded, keeping her gaze locked to the floor. There was no need to point out what she had been aware of for years. Even as a child, they had told her what would happen, right after they declared her a success.

“Good,” Thales smirked. “We’ll be moving onto the next phase now.”

The first few times she had approached this stage, Edelgard broke into a sweat and trembled with fear. By now, she gave them no expression nor response.

She could only squeeze her hands together in a feeble attempt to console herself for what would come next.

* * *

Thales gave Edelgard anaesthetics for the procedure. Such precautions did not originate from any deep hidden desire to care for the living weapon he had forged. If he was truly kind, she would not have needed to remain conscious. 

Clad in only a simple white gown, Edelgard lay back on the operating table. Meeting Thales’ gaze with a nod, Solon cuffed her wrists and ankles, securing her still. The manacles were tight and uncomfortable, yet an improvement over the stakes and chains that had once impaled writhing palms and feet. But even if they had driven metal through her limbs once again, she would still stay. 

There was no point in resisting the inevitable if she wished to remain in their favour.

* * *

the gown is untied

once again she feels the slice of the knife 

peeling the skin from her bare, marred body,

her hands, her legs, her arms, her neck

pinned to the operating table like a freshly-skinned rabbit

exposing her veins for their appraisal

her ribs snapped open

white bony wings reaching from her chest

cupping her heart

pumping bile-colored blood coursing through her body

holding the crests that fueled her flame 

the crests slowly burning the wick of her life away

she no longer shrieks or cries

but distantly observes the forceps and scalpels dancing inside her

like that last performance at the opera house so long ago

* * *

With quick, deft, movements, Solon stitched her incisions, the suturing needle weaving the forms of new scars. He muttered an indecipherable string of words- a spell far beyond Edelgard’s vast studies - and suddenly she was strong enough to walk again.The wounds inflicted on her minutes ago looked as though they had not been opened for years. The gown was re-tied, the restraints came undone, and Edelgard slowly rose from the table, soothing her chafed wrists with circling fingers. 

No sound was uttered as she stretched, stood, and slipped out of the bloodied gown. Her instincts told her that Solon and Thales had left the room. It would not have made a difference if they were still there. They knew their handiwork as well as she did.

As she found her clothing and began to change back into her uniform, Edelgard felt herself tremble. She didn’t know whether it was the coldness of Shambhala, or some hidden, unpleasant emotion waiting to descend upon her in a future nightmare. Her face burned and her eyes stung. Yet her composure had to remain intact.

Once she adjusted her cape and re-tied her ribbons, she slipped on her boots at the entrance of the room. Outside, Edelgard could hear tiny, metallic scratches; the drumming of Thales’ fingers against his steel gauntlets.

Without facing him, she said flatly, “I’m finished.”

Thales nodded in response, and made his way towards the exit. He had no doubts she would follow suit.

When Edelgard returned to the surface, she did not turn around. There was no need to spare formalities for the man who believed he was her master. There was no courtesy she wished to offer him beyond what she must. There was no time she aimed to spend with him beyond what was necessary. A simple parting always sufficed. 

After all, she would be returning next month. 

**Author's Note:**

> *cracks knuckles* i haven’t written fic in a BILLION years but i want to try my hand at writing again. consider this a warmup of sorts!
> 
> a huge thank you to ana for betaing this! i appreciate your edits and input immensely.


End file.
